Saturday 13 November 2021

The TOYS Page, 137, 141 and 47 and the Freemasons.

Many here will be aware that the ‘Toys’ page in Johann Bessler’s Maschinen Tractate was numbered MT 138,  139, 140 and 141.  I suggested that the drawings he destroyed or buried were replaced by this curious page of what appear to be toys, but perhaps there was another reason.

 The previous page was numbered MT137, which was the logical number for the preceding page.  As I pointed out previously MT137 contains the musical ‘circle of fifths’, plus if you use two radii to divide a circle according to the golden ratio it yields sectors of approximately 137° (1.618, the golden ratio) and 222°, hence the number 137. 

So 360/1.618 = 222.5 .  360-222.5=137.5 Curiously 1/137.5 = 00727272727 etc.  5x72=360.

The pentagram is of course constructed with numerous examples of the golden ratio.

I should add there is a huge amount of discussion in scientific circles about the mystery of the number 137. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/137_(number)

The final number on the Toys page is 141, is an interesting choice.  The number of Bible references in Bessler’s Declaration of Faith also number 141. Only 3 and 47 are divisors of  141. This brings to mind Euclid’s 47th problem. MT47 has a curious feature, the number 47 is repeated upside down within the drawing.

Bessler seems to be underlining the importance of the number 47. It could suggest the requirement for a 3:4:5 right angle in his wheel?

Other reasons occur to me which could explain Bessler’s inclusion of these numbers but it would be too much speculation at this point.

I’m aware of suggestions that Bessler was involved with FreeMasonry and so I offer the following information gleaned from 

https://bricksmasons.com/blogs/masonic-education/the-47th-problem-of-euclid

“The 47th Problem of Euclid or 47th Proposition of Euclid is also known as the Pythagorean Theorem. It is represented by three squares.

The symbol of the 47th problem of Euclid looks mysterious to the uninitiated, and a lot of them often ponder on what this Masonic symbol means.

Some Masonic historians describe the 47th Problem of Euclid as something that connotes a love of the sciences and the arts. But that definition leaves a lot unsaid. In this article, we’ll shed more light on the 47th Problem of Euclid. Our explanation will include the Masonic Square along with Pythagoras’s Theory.

Euclid 

Euclid is known as the Father of Geometry. He lived several years after Pythagoras, and he continued the work of Pythagoras. Euclid focused mainly on the 3:4:5 ratio puzzle. Some sources have it that he had to make a sacrifice of 100 cattle or oxen before he could solve the puzzle. Some other sources have it that the Egyptians had long solved the puzzle before he did.

The Pythagoras Theorem 

The Pythagoras theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the sum of the squares on the two sides is equal to the square of the hypotenuse. So, for a right-angled triangle with lengths of sides in the ratio 3:4:5, ‘5’ represents the hypotenuse or the longest side.

3: 4: 5

32: 42: 52

9: 16: 25

9 + 16 = 25

The first four numbers are 1, 2, 3 and 4. Let us write down the squares of these numbers.

      12:22:32:42   

      1: 4: 9: 16  

When you subtract each square from the next one, you get 3, 5, 7.

4-1 = 3            

9-4 = 5 

16-9 = 7

The ratio 3: 5: 7 is very important. The ratio represents the steps in Freemasonry. They are the steps are the exact number of brothers that form the number of Master Masons needed to open a lodge.

Master Mason

Fellow Craft

7 Entered Apprentice

3: 5: 7 represents the steps in the Winding Stair that leads to the Middle Chamber.

The 47th Problem of Euclid is necessary for constructing a foundation that is architecturally correct as established by the use of the square. This is important to Operative Masons as well as Speculative Masons.

The 47th Problem of Euclid is a mathematical ratio that allows a Master Mason to square his square when it is out of square.  

In the old days, old wooden carpenter squares had one longer leg because they were created using the 3: 4: 5 ratio from the 47th problem of Euclid. But carpenters of today use squares that have equal legs.

If you have four sticks and a piece of string, you can work out the 47th Problem of Euclid on your own. You will be able to create a perfect square with these. The string should be about 40 inches in length, and the four sticks must be strong enough to stick into soft soil. You will also need a black marker to mark the rope.”

I remain unconvinced of Bessler’s membership of the Masons, but he seems to have had some knowledge or interest in them.

JC


36 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Hi Stephen, I wrote, “ I remain unconvinced of Bessler’s membership of the Masons, but he seems to have had some knowledge or interest in them.” I’m sure he was influenced by what he learned about them. I also think his later publication recommending the amalgamation of the main Christian religions indicated his broad acceptance of the various dogmas of his time. He came to know much about the Jews and the Huguenots and the Protestants and of course the Jesuits, so yes I’m sure he was influenced by those various religious as well as his experience of Magic, occultism and alchemy.

      JC

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  2. I haven't checked this blog in a while, but wherever there are numbers being discussed, I seem to be drawn there like a moth to a flame!

    Like many I am also convinced that the toys page is probably the most important one in all of MT. The printing block for it was made last by Bessler after he had destroyed the four blocks that would have showed the secrets of his wheels. There are four page numbers associated with that last single page which are 138, 139, 140, and 141. If you add them all together you get 558 which is, to me, a very interesting sum.

    If one multiplies the first two 5's together he gets 25. The 25th letter of the alphabet is the letter "Y". As many may remember, I lean strongly toward the belief that Bessler's wheels used letter "Y" shaped levers because I have found evidence of that in some of the MT drawings. And, we also have that number 8 at the end of the sum. It could be a hint from Bessler that his wheels used eight of those "Y" shaped levers. On the toys page if you count the number of "X" shaped sections in that extending scissor jack toy on the left side, you will see that it also happens to have eight of the sections. Coincidence? When it comes to Bessler, there is no such thing as a coincidence!

    About a month ago I found another very interesting clue in the DT portraits which is probably the only one of its kind in all of his drawings and was never recognized before. This clue actually requires one to use both of the portraits together to see it! I'm not sure of its significance at this time and I don't have the time to describe it right now. I will try to do so in the next day or so.

    I also agree with JC's opinion that Bessler was not a member of the Masons although he probably knew several members and was well aware of their various rituals and symbols. I think Bessler treated the various secret societies springing up in his region at the time like he did the various Christian denominations he encountered. He would learn as much as possible about them without actually joining and then come up with his own versions of them if it suited him. Many don't know that he was actually trying to start his own version of Christianity and he also came up with his own secret codes and symbols to use in his writings and drawings based on what I have seen of them. He was a most remarkable person in many ways and it is a pity that he's been bypassed in the history books for the most part except to be denounced as a charlatan. Let's hope that our efforts can change that.


    Sayer of Sooths

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    1. Nice to see you back, SoS. It's been a while.

      I'm not really into this code stuff, but I was impressed by that Bessler lucky ratio you found in the MT drawings earlier this year. Sure enough when I started looking at other drawings Bessler did, I started to see it show up in them. I posted one of them that I had found but unfortunately John deleted it on me! Anyway that ratio of 0.777777 is also used in another of the Kassal wheel drawings in DT.

      Look at that drawing that shows the Kassal wheel running the water pump. On the left side drawing measure the distance from the pivot of the horizontal rod marked P to the center of the wheel's axle. Next measure the distance from the rim of the wheel to the center of the axle. Finally, divide the first distance you get by the second distance and if you made your measurements accurate you will see the ratio is 0.777777 or very close to it. I guess Bessler really liked that number 7 which, IIRC, you said was because it had something to do with heaven or God?

      jason

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    2. @jason
      I followed your instructions and got different values of 0.75, 0.78, 0.79 etc depending on how I put the ruler on the screen but they all seemed to average out to about 0.77.

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    3. Thanks, Jason.

      I do remember that lucky ratio you mentioned. I think at the time it was believed it could be used to find the distance of a lever's pivots from an axle's center for any size drum Bessler used. For example, if the drum was 12 feet in diameter, it would have a radius of 6 feet and the lever would be attached at a distance of 6 feet x 0.777777 = 4.666666 feet or 4 feet and 8 inches from the center of the axle. This could explain why witnesses at the Merseburg wheel test noticed Bessler handling something inside of the drum, but near its rim.

      Yes, the number 7 was a very important one for Bessler and it shows up in many of his drawings. A while ago I found another hard to see one in the second DT portrait. To find it look at the organ pipes behind Bessler's right side. There are seven of those pipe openings visible there that make the organ's notes. Now look at the smallest opening that's closest to the side of the organ. If you look carefully, you can see that Bessler excessively darkened the shadow on the side of the pipe between that little opening and an out of place dark spot above the little opening which looks like an ink smudge of some sort. What he actually did was form the number 7 out of the seven pipe openings and that short vertical shadow. But, the number is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from its normal orientation.

      The bottom of this rotated 7 is near Bessler's ear and the dark smudge on the top bar of the 7 points up toward that little angel in the corner of the organ. The angel even has what looks like a squiggly tail that points down to the dark spot. The symbolism of this is obvious. It was Bessler's way of telling everyone that the knowledge he needed to build his wheels was given to him by God, represented by the number 7, and delivered to him by angels which in the Bible serve as messengers of God. There is also the suggestion that the skills he learned while repairing organs came in handy when he built his wheels. 7 is also a very lucky number and its use could be Bessler's way of saying that he was very lucky to have been chosen by God to learn the secrets of perpetual motion.


      Sayer of Sooths

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    4. Hello, Sayer of Sooths! In your first comment here you said

      "About a month ago I found another very interesting clue in the DT portraits which is probably the only one of its kind in all of his drawings and was never recognized before. This clue actually requires one to use both of the portraits together to see it! I'm not sure of its significance at this time and I don't have the time to describe it right now. I will try to do so in the next day or so."

      So what is that one of a kind clue you mentioned that was nver recognized before?

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    5. Thank you for your interest, anon 01:04.

      I had fully intended to reveal that unique new clue today, but have decided not to do so. The reason is that I find the hostility and negativity on this current blog have created a climate that I consider inappropriate for the release of an important new Bessler clue.

      I take my numerological and symbological analyses of the Bessler drawings very seriously and I will not reveal my latest findings on any site where they will not receive the consideration and respect that they deserve. Mocking me by suggesting that I am a "Ken clone" is not exactly my idea of showing respect for either me or my research. Neither is referring to it as "insignificant" and "meaningless".

      Maybe a few months from now IF I see the climate on these blogs has changed I will then finally reveal that new clue. But this is not the time to do so. My apologies to those here who this will disappoint.


      Sayer of Sooths

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    6. And yet another valuable contributor heads toward the exit of this dying blog thanks to JC's paranoia and rudeness! I wonder who will be next?

      Delete
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    1. Yes, unfortunately it seems that Ken’s clones are back.

      The only other reason I can think of why Bessler hid his discovery was to prevent anyone else claiming it as their’s. But thst comes under recognition.

      BTW I have decided to share more of my own work on deciphering Bessler’s many clues. This, I hope, will show how Bessler’s hidden clues were so much more sophisticated than those trumpeted by Ken’s clones.

      I think they, the clones, do Bessler a tremendous disservice in claiming that they have found tiny insignificant clues which are actually meaningless and not intended to be clues at all.

      JC

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    2. @John Collins

      I definitely do not think SoS is a "Ken clone". It sounds like your recent flare up of KDS has not completely gone away yet!

      So far everything SoS says about the number 7 in the Bessler drawings makes complete sense and I can't deny that number is in the second DT portrait exactly where he says it is. I think the problem is that you lack the kind of numerology analysis skills SoS has to find clues like that. Because of that all you can do is try to take the attention off of your inabilities by denouncing the real clues he is finding as "insignificant and meaningless". The truth is that description exactly describes all of the "clues" you have shown us so far!

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    3. @ Anon 12:09,
      The numbers are important, but not in any mathematical way, I believe one of Bessler's critics said he had poor numeracy skills.
      Their significance is in the shape of the writing style.

      STEVO

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    4. No, someone said in a personal letter about Bessler that he was not a "profound mathematician" and not that he had "poor numeracy skills". Bessler was definitely a numerologist as SoS has continuously demonstrated for us.

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  4. Hi John,
    I often wondered why Bessler never crossed his 7's, as in most European countries.
    When I looked up the origins of the line across, I found out that the numbers we use today are said to be Arabic, but in fact the Arabs use the Hindu symbols.
    Our numbers come from the Kabyle people of North Africa, and the line across the 7, plus a line at the base give 7 angles.
    All the numbers are written with straight lines, each containing the same amount of angles the number represents.
    Probably of no consequence, but interesting anyway

    STEVO

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  5. My reactions to the clues that some people post here are dependent on my ability to swallow their chain of logic. If you claim to have found a clue, then it must be recognisable as such. Secondly the clue must be interpreted in a clear and concise way which is again recognisably correct. Thirdly the clue and it’s interpretation must apply to the solution to the problem to which it has been linked.

    I have enjoyed some of the supposed clues even if I disagree with their author, but there are others which I know are completely illogical and their interpretation incomprehensible and I would guess that over 90 % of them stem from Ken.

    So when I read about the presence of the letter ‘Y’ being offered as a clue I reject it utterly because I know what is and isn’t used in the wheel in particular something that originated from Ken’s imagination. Although I enjoy Sayer of Sooths, Jason etc, the mere mention of any of Ken’s clues in their comments puts my back up and I wonder whether to just delete any such comments - but I dislike deleting anything. So if you guys could stick to clues which fit my definition of a clue and avoid all mention of Ken’s clues, I would be very happy!

    JC

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    1. Hi John,
      totally agree, you said you seem to be taking a different approach to the solution than I am, but, all the clues you have disclosed lead to my interpretation, I'm surprised you don't see the same thing I do !
      It fits all the Bessler clues you highlight, pentagons, the red line connections on the Toys Page, to name a few.
      Anyway, as you rightly said, " Only a working model will suffice. "
      Time will tell.

      STEVO

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    2. We might be on the same path Stevo, but there so many possible deviations that without the whole plan it’s impossible for us to know. But as always I welcome someone else’s success as much as my own.

      JC

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    3. "But as always I welcome someone else’s success as much as my own."

      Yeah, right! Lol!

      Unfortunately, John has a severe case of pentagons on the brain. He's been babbling about his five mech theory for decades now and will probably waste the remainder of his life doing so even though about 999 out of 1,000 Bessler pm wheel chasers consider that approach as total nonsense considering the valid clues we have about Bessler's wheels. Ask yourselves one simple question...has anything real ever come from all of John's "clues"? No? I wonder why?

      He has promised to show us more "clues" in the future, but what will we see? Just more of his rehashed "clues" from the past, copied right from old and forgotten blog pages, in which he tries to convince everyone, but mainly himself, that Bessler's wheels did use five mechs.

      He may sound like he welcomes new ideas on this blog, but I think that is the last thing he really wants here. You see whenever they show up it destroys the myth that he somehow has a monopoly on the truth about how Bessler's wheels worked. Putting down serious guys here like Ken B, SoS, and that other guy from germany in the last blog with his Bessler gifts is John's way of trying to keep his own myth going.

      One way to get John's approval is to show up here and rave away about some vague nonsense related to Bessler's wheels. He will then congratulate you on your "progress" and generously invite you to share more. In reality, he delights to see such nonsense because it only convinces him more that his five mech approach must be correct. Well, we all saw what one of his overhyped five mech wheels looked like last year. It was unworkable in practice and even a sim could not work no matter how much it was tweeked!

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    4. The amount of spew that is vomited here - keep on your meds folks.

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    5. Which ones do you use and recommend, anon 00:25? Lol!

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  6. Just for the record, my idea is based on the number five, it doesn't contain five separate mechanisms.

    STEVO

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    1. That's too bad because it means John will immediately dismiss it as having nothing to do with Bessler's wheels.

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    2. Time will tell who is right and who is wrong, my money is firmly on five mechanisms.

      JC

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    3. I don't know about anyone else but, it's the pr*cks, I'm sorry the critics, that keep me going. I would love to prove them wrong---------------Sam

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    4. "...my money is firmly on five mechanisms."

      Lol! John has zero interest in other people's opinions about Bessler's wheels that disagree with his own five mechanism approach. His only goal here is to just keep this blog running as a place for those he considers to have no hope of making any real progress with Bessler's wheels (because their approaches aren't the same as his) to come to and babble away on daily. That can then result in large comment counts on a blog's front page that can attract the eyeballs of any passing newbie pm wheel chasers out there.

      He's mainly interested in drawing in those new to the subject who are still stupid enough to think they will have Bessler's wheels all figured out a week or two after buying and reading a quick download of one of his past translated versions of Bessler's German language books. No refunds of course when a week or two later they wake up to the reality that there is no usable information about the secret of how Bessler's wheels worked in any of them.

      That's really the only purpose for this blog now. It's not a place for serious Bessler researchers to present or exchange ideas on. If by chance any of them wander in here they will soon leave when they realize they made a wrong turn on the internet highway that only took them down another dead end street!

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    5. Even the strongest medications are rarely effective for curing those skeptics who suffer from what psychiatrists call "Persistent Bessler Reality Denialism" or "PBRD" which is a kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. Fortunately for them, a new treatment recently became available that seems to be far more effective in curing this disabling mental health condition. The link below will take you to a simulator that will let you practice applying the new treatment to a volunteer who suffers from a very severe case of it. The more severe the case, the longer that the treatment must be applied to finally cure it.

      http://eelslap.com

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    6. To make it more effective I recommend using an electric eel...a big one that puts out a lot of voltage!

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    7. I wouldn’t say I have I have ‘zero interest in other people's opinions about Bessler's wheels that disagree with (my) own five mechanism approach’. I accept that other people’s opinions may differ from mine, but I’m allowed to have my own.

      I know there are some people who seem to delight in writing insulting comments and I admit I don’t understand what they get out of it but they must have their reasons?

      JC

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    8. Er...excuse me, but wasn't it YOUR insulting comments a few days ago that made long time member "SoS" leave this blog abruptly just before he was going to reveal to us some new clue he discovered in the Bessler drawings?

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    9. I have usually enjoyed SOS’s comments even if I have had doubts about their numerological legitimacy as a means of understanding Bessler. I can’t help that, but SoS seems to have moved closer to Ken’s style of clue hunting and once claims are made to have discovered clues from features barely visible in the portrait, I throw my hands up in exasperation.

      I am working on my next blog in which I will show you some of the real clues in the portraits and why there are two of them. Once you see them you will understand - I hope! They are invisible but obvious once they are explained.

      JC

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  7. Strange, nobody has commented on Euclid yet !
    I assume that the symbol used is stylised, because shouldn't it be three squares, one five units square, one four units square and one three units square ?
    If it was drawn this way in Bessler's day, I can understand its significance.

    STEVO

    PS, it's very difficult to see the sign in pictures on my phone !

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    1. You’re right Stevo, but you just need to see the empty triangle in the middle of the squares.

      JC

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    2. That's the significance I saw !

      STEVO

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The True Story of Bessler’s Perpetual Motion Machine.

On  6th June, 1712, in Germany, Johann Bessler (also known by his pseudonym, Orffyreus) announced that after many years of failure, he had s...